Surviving Today
by SparrowEyedGirl
Summary: Her name is Carrie Reed. She's... different. Yeah, different is the word. She knows how to survive, how to shoot. Wouldn't have gotten that from a first glace. But sometimes, I catch her staring into space and biting her thumbnail. I wonder what she's thinking about. I haven't cared about anyone since my brother. She could be the death of me. Daryl/OC. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh hello there.**

**So I recently got into the Walking Dead fandom, and everyone tried to tell me not to do this because it'd be more stress than it was worth, but I couldn't resist writing a FanFiction on it. Sometimes a character just jumps my head and I literally can't watch an episode without thinking how I could include her and it was bothering me so HERE WE ARE.**

**Obviously, I don't own anything, I really wish I did. That'd be awesome.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter One

Carrie Reed was a cosmetologist in Tallahassee, Florida. She lived with her boyfriend, Robert, who worked repairing cars.

They were a typical couple, living in a small apartment, living off of unhealthy food and being late for almost everything. Then, the news reports started coming in. News reports with... weird things. "Woman Eats Husbands Arm", "Neighbor Wakes Up To Neighbor Eating Their Pet". Strange things that caused Carrie and Robert to look at each other and laugh.

When more reports came in, they still laughed, but Carrie started to lock their doors and windows. She made sure she would always kiss Robert before she left for work. She was scared.

Two weeks later, everything went to hell in a hand basket. But, it wasn't until one of Carrie's neighbors attacked her while she was going up the stairs that they actually started listening to the news reports, trying to figure out what was going on.

"We request that all able citizens go to Atlanta, Georgia for shelter and safety. We repeat; All able citizens please go to Atlanta, Georgia for shelter and safety."

In an instant, Carrie was off the couch, going to their room and grabbing her bag from on top of the closet. She shoved most of her clothes and a couple pairs of good, comfortable shoes in the bag, while Robert packed canned foods and other things that they could eat.

Robert handed her the bag of food, and quickly packed his own bag of clothes while she got both of their essentials.

When she came out into the living room, Robert was stashing his pocket knives in his jacket pockets and bag. He gave two to Carrie, which she stowed away. In a box that was in a cabinet in their living room, Robert had two hand guns and some ammunition. He was raised in Austin, so it was to be expected. He handed one to Carrie, and stashed the ammunition in his bag.

"You remember how to shoot?" he asked, and she nodded. When they first started dating, he'd taken her out and taught her how to shoot.

_'It's something every pretty lady should learn how to do,' _he'd told her. At the time, she laughed. Now, she was glad. It _was _something you needed to learn how to do.

With one last look at their home, Robert grabbed their keys and they left their apartment complex, heading for Atlanta, Georgia.

Carrie just hoped what they promised was actually there.

**Obviously, this is just the introduction, so yeah, it's gonna be pretty boring for awhile. Sorry about that.**

**Yes, I typed it correctly, this will be a Daryl/OC fic. Yes, I'm aware Carrie has a boyfriend at the moment. But trust me, I'll take care of him. Yes, you should be quite afraid for him. Heh.**

**I know this chapter was very boring, but drop me a review and tell me what you think. This is defiantly a work in progress and they don't really show much of the group before Rick comes in so I don't have too much to go on. Most of my planning has gone to the interesting stuff like the CDC and Hershel's and walker attacks... stuff like that.**

**Thanks for reading, have a great day.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, everyone.**

**I've gotten so much positive feedback already that I decided to post the other chapter I had. I'm working on the third one now, but I'm not going to make any promises as to when it will be up.**

**I don't own anything. Please, enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter Two

"It just seems so ridiculous, you know?" Carrie said as they were driving. "A zombie apocalypse... sounds like something out of one of your video games."

Robert snorted and shook his head.

"It does, doesn't it."

The two laughed, despite the situation at hand, and fell back into silence.

"Are you sure you want to find your parents first?" Robert asked. "They could already be in Atlanta."

"They could," Carrie answered. "But I don't want to take that chance."

Family was family, and Carrie wasn't about to leave hers behind. She knew that Robert didn't want to either – his relationship with his family was non existent since he was raised in a foster home – but he was more concerned about getting them to Atlanta.

"I have a bad feeling about the city anyway," she admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know... I just don't think it's our best bet. Woman's intuition, I guess."

The small, white house cast a shadow over their car. The walkers they passed by hadn't come to harass them yet, so they got out of their car and – weapons ready – went inside the house.

"Mom? Dad?" Carrie called when she was in the house. "Are you home?"

Silence lingered for an unnaturally long amount of time, and Carrie's heart raced.

"I don't like this, Carrie..."

"I know... maybe their asleep."

"Or they're not home! Come on, Carrie, we need to-"

"_You have one new message._"

The two jumped at the third, monotone voice, and Carrie looked around. She breathed out shakily when she saw the answering machine, which had a beeping red light.

Slowly, she walked over to the machine and hit play.

"_Carrie... honey, it's your mom... we know you will come to get us before you go to Atlanta – if you do. We—We're sorry to say that we won't be going. Our house is surrounded by those THNGS and-"_

The message cut off with a piercing shriek, and Carrie jumped, tears filling her eyes.

_No. _She refused to believe they were dead.

"Carrie!"

She turned to Robert, who had a wide-eyed look on his face and frantically patting his jacket.

"Rob? What's-"

She cut off with a scream when someone grabbed her, wrapping their arm around her slim neck. The arm was rotted, and smelled of death. She coughed, struggling more to get away as the growls and inhuman noises got closer and closer to her ear.

Then, a single shot rang out, and the arm disappeared. Carrie turned to kick the body away from her, but froze.

The dead man who just grabbed her...

It was her father.

Tears once again filled her eyes, and a choked sob escaped her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand as the tears overflowed.

Robert was beside her in a second, one arm around her waist, the other hand occupied holding his gun.

"Carrie... the noise will attract more of them. We have to go."

Carrie looked at him through her glassy eyes and saw his were glassy, too. She nodded once and let him lead her to the car.

Her mother and father were dead. Her father had just tried to kill her, too.

She leaned her head against the window and stared into nothing.

**Well, there's that.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the bit of action I put in, I wasn't quite sure how the characters of her parents would play out so... here we are.**

**Why don't you click on that review button and tell me what you think? Please? It'd make me happy!**

**Thanks for reading, guys, have a great day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh hi there.**

**Well, here we are at chapter three. I want to sincerely thank you all for your kind reviews, they make this story so much easier to write. It makes me smile that so many people are liking this, especially since it's a work in progress and I don't have all the small things figured out yet.**

**Anyway, that's all I had to say.**

**I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

Chapter Three

"You know, if you hadn't insisted on going to your parent's-"

"I get it Robert, okay! I'm an idiot for checking on my mother and father!"

Robert sighed and said nothing.

They had been stuck in traffic for hours. Robert was blaming her, she was blaming the mass amounts of people trying to flood the city. Carrie sighed quietly in the silence and rested her cheek on her fist. A tear escaped her eye, and she quickly wiped it away. This had been going on since they left her parent's home. She hated fighting with Robert, and she just lost her parents.

A plane flew above them, and a building near the street across from them exploded. Carrie flinched, and the realization of what they were doing hit her like a bag full of bricks.

"Rob..." Robert looked at her.

"They're bombing the streets..."

Robert's eyes widened and he looked at the street that was now aflame.

"Dammit!" he yelled, getting out of the car. Carrie followed him. Without a word, he grabbed their bags, shoving hers in her hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We have to go, before they decide to bomb us, too," he explained, draping the thick strap of her bag on her left shoulder, letting it hang on her right side.

"Where are we going to go, Rob?" she asked as he dragged her along the lines of cars.

"I don't know, Carrie, we just have to go!"

They continued to dodge through lines of cars, until they ran into a woman with long, dark hair and angular face. She looked them over before telling them to follow her, and they did, though hesitantly.

Turns out, the woman hadn't meant them any harm. In fact, she lead them outside the city, where a small group was already gathered.

Carrie looked around at the small, scared group. She didn't know what was going to happen now.

** She just hoped they would be safe, and not end up like her parents.**

**Short chapter, I know. I might have some interaction with Daryl in the next few chapters because... it's Daryl... and this is a Daryl/OC story... kinda makes sense, don't you think?**

**So stay tuned for that. Next chapter might be in his point of view and there will be a time jump. I think I'll start bringing the episodes into the story now since I've pretty much got the introduction done. I'm not sure.**

**Why don't you click on that little review button and tell me what you think? Yeah, you know you want to. Please?**

**Anyway.**

**Have a good day, guys. Thanks for reading.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again all you lovely people.**

**I know it's been a while, but I've been SUPER STRESSED lately and finals for college, midterms for high school don't help very much. I'm lucky I got enough muse to put this little baby out here.**

**I have a couple reviews to answer before that, so let me do that now.**

**Abi: RIGHT?! That bothers me too! It's like, by the third chapter, they're already together. Just... no... I mean come on, it took three seasons for him and Carol to get together. I kind of already have a time line mapped out, and I'm looking at their relationship starting in season four (which I haven't even seen so... that'll be awhile). Thanks for reviewing!**

**FloodFeSTeR: This chapter is... Kind of longer? I think? I included all I could of Guts and Tell It To the Frogs, so it should be. Thank you for your kind words and for reviewing.**

**As usual, thank you guys so much for reading this story and for your patience. It means a lot. I defiantly have big plans, and some are about to come up. Hehe.**

**I don't own anything, but I would really like Daryl for Christmas. Can anyone make that happen?**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter Four

There was a girl at the camp. Her name was Carrie Reed. Her dark hair always fell in a curtain – he always wondered if she had enough damn sense to pull it back – her greenish-brown eyes probing the ground constantly.

More than once, she'd caught him staring at her, but he always played it off. Act like he was looking at something else.

But, he couldn't play it off when Merle caught him.

"Whatcha lookin' at baby brother?" he asked, following his former line of vision until his eyes landed on Carrie. "Oh, her..."

He cackled and thumped Daryl on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll bet she was a real looker before shit hit the fan. Though I'll bet you think she's a real looker now."

Daryl frowned, and didn't look at his brother, causing him to laugh again.

"Girl has a nice ass on her, I'll admit that. I'd stay away, her boyfriend doesn't mess around."

With that, Merle walked away.

Daryl sighed. He did think that, but he would never openly admit it. He wasn't even supposed to feel this way.

The weeks passed by uneventfully. Women did the laundry, men went to get supplies and food. It was like stepping back into the 1950's again.

That's why when a group was gathered on a supply run, she was upset when she wasn't picked. And if that wasn't bad enough, Robert was.

On the day that they left, Carrie pulled him aside.

"Be safe, okay?" she said, fixing his shirt collar.

"I will, Carrie, I always am," he replied, catching her hands. She nodded at him. She knew that he would, but she still felt the need to say it. The world they found themselves in was justification enough.

"Hey, I'll see you soon, alright?" he said, kissing her forehead.

Carrie nodded again, and he let go of her hands and left with the group.

"Hello, base camp!"

Carrie was alert immediately, her hand shooting to her waisteband, where she kept her gun.

"Can anybody out there hear me? Base camp, this is T-Dog! Anybody hear me?"

An older man, Dale, climbed up the ladder of his RV and answered the radio call.

"Hello? Hello?" he replied. "Reception's bad on this end. Repeat, repeat."

"Shane, is that you?"

"Is that them?" the woman who'd gathered Robert and Carrie into the group and was now standing behind Carrie, Lori, questioned.

"We're in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store!"

Carrie's heart jumped to her throat.

"Did he say they were trapped?" he asked, her voice uneven. Lori placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There are geeks all over the place, hundreds of them! We're surrounded!" T-Dog informed them. With every update, Carrie felt closer to tears. She couldn't loose any of them. Well... maybe Merle Dixon.

"T-Dog, repeat that last, repeat!" Dale said.

There was nothing but static and the thunder in the sky.

"He said the department store..." Lori mused.

"I heard it, too," Dale replied.

"Shane..."

"No way," the burly man replied. "We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that."

"So we're just gonna leave her there?!" a young blonde girl, Amy, demanded. Her sister was on that run.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy-"

"She volunteered to go! To help the rest of us!"

"I know. And she knew the risks, right? See, if she's trapped, she's gone. We just have to deal with that, there's nothing we can do."

Amy looked at the man – her face portraying disbelief.

"She's my sister you son of a bitch!" she hissed, running off.

Carrie glared at the man as Lori ran after the blonde. He acted like he didn't notice.

A car alarm pulled Carrie and Amy out of her daze. She blinked and looked around, standing with Amy.

"Talk to me, Dale!"

"I can't tell yet."

There was a pause while Dale peered out into his binoculars, and everyone waited impatiently.

"Is it them?" Amy asked. "Are they back?"

"I'll be damned..." Dale muttered.

"What is it?" Carrie asked, reaching for her gun.  
"A stolen car is my guess," Dale replied.

Said stolen car pulled up to their camp, alarm blaring. Carrie winced at the loud noise, and watched as Glenn stepped out of the car.

"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" she yelled at her friend.  
"I don't know how!" he yelled back.

"Pop the hood, please," Shane demanded. "Pop the damn hood-"

"My sister, Andrea-"

"Where is everyone else, Glenn?"

"What? Yeah, okay, okay!" Glenn snapped, stepping back inside the car and opening the hood.

"Is she okay?! Is she alright!"

"Yes, yes, she's okay! Everyone's okay!"

"Why aren't they with you?" Carrie demanded.

"She's okay?!"

"Yes! Yes, everyone's okay!" Glenn repeated. "Well... Merle, not so much..."

Carrie felt guilty and relieved at the same time. At least she didn't have to catch him staring at her anymore.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here?" Shane demanded. "You tryin' to draw every walker for miles?"

"I think we're okay..." Dale replied.

"You call being stupid okay?!"

"Well, that alarm was echoing all over these hills," Carrie defended. "Hard to pinpoint the source."

Shane glared at her, and she stepped back.

"I'm not arguing, I'm just saying!"  
"And it wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?" Dale asked Glenn, who looked at the ground.

"Sorry," he mumbled. There was silence.

"Got a cool car?" Glenn tried, and Carrie laughed, shaking her head.

A truck pulled into the dirt, and all of the inhabitants stepped out, including Robert. He smiled at her, and she returned a watery smile. She ran to her boyfriend, and he caught her in a hug.

"You scared me to death, you bastard," she said, her voice breaking.

"I know," he replied. "I'm okay, everyone else is okay."

"Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello."

Carrie pulled back and looked at Robert, raising her eyebrows.

"New guy. He's the reason we got out. I think he said his name was Rick."

Carrie looked around Robert as a middle-aged man with brown hair and a sheriff's uniform stepped out of the truck.

"The guys a cop, like you."

Carrie watched as he went over to Lori and her son, hugging them. Tears filled her eyes as she smiled.

Carl finally had his father back, and Lori, her husband.

**How'd you guys enjoy Daryl's point of view? I don't think I did him justice, but I wanted you guys to see what he and Merle thought about Carrie. It comes into play much, much later.**

**I did say that it will be a long time before Daryl and Carrie actually get together, and that remains true. Those are just thoughts, and he'll probably stray from those soon.**

**Why don't you click on Mr. Review Button and tell me what you think? I'd love to hear it.**

**Thanks for reading, guys, have a great day.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, well, well, hello again. Hope you guys had a good Friday.**

**As usual, thank you guys for following this story and adding it to your favorites, it means a lot. I know the story is a little slow right now, but things will pick up soon, I promise.**

**I don't own Walking Dead. Enjoy!**

Chapter Five

They were all sitting around the small fire, Rick talking about what it felt like to wake up in the middle of this chaos. Carrie wasn't really listening – she was too close to sleep, fiddling with her necklace.

"You still have that?" Robert's voice pulled her out of her haze. He was looking at her necklace – a thick, silver chain that had an hourglass charm on it. She nodded.

"You gave it to me, of course I do," she replied.

He smiled.

"I thought you left it at the apartment. Probably would be best if you kept it in your pocket, a walker could easily grab the chain..." Robert mused.

"I hide the chain in my shirt, its fine," Carrie said with a frown.

Robert sighed and said no more, and Carrie fell asleep in his embrace, which was getting colder by the day.

Glenn stood by, watching unhappily as Jim, Morales, and Dale stripped the red car he'd driven in yesterday of everything that was important.

"Look at them," he said. "Vultures. Yeah, go on, strip it clean!"

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get, got no power without it," Dale replied. "Sorry, Glenn."

Carrie laughed at Glenn's very unhappy expression and patted his arm.

"I thought I could drive it at least a few more days," he muttered.

"Maybe you'll get to steal another one," she replied.

They talked for a few more moments, only pausing to move for Shane's speeding Jeep.

"So," Carrie started, ready to ask Glenn the question that had been bugging her since they got back. "Rob won't tell me, but why'd you guys-"

She was cut off by a scream, followed by another.

"Dad!"

"Baby!"

"Mama! Mommy!"

In the confusion, Carrie brought her gun from her waistband, running after the group into the woods. She might have been petite, but she was also quick. She reached the source of the children's screams before Shane, Rick, and Glenn did. She sighed, frowning at the walker who was eating a doe, blood covering its hands and mouth.

She cringed and looked away, stepping back as they assaulted the walker with their silent weapons. It ended when Dale decapitated the thing.

"It's the first one we've had up here..." Dale said.

"They never come this far up the mountain," Carrie agreed.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what," Jim said in his shaky voice. Carrie smiled softly at him. Sure, Jim was a little strange, but Carrie was good at dealing with outcasts. She was one of them most of the time.

A branch snapped, and everyone turned their attention in the direction of the sound. Carrie stood ready, the handle of her gun ready to use as a weapon.

It turned out to only be Daryl Dixon, and Carrie relaxed. She felt a twinge of pity, they still hadn't told him about his older brother.

"Son of a bitch," he growled, seeing the walker and the mutilated deer. "That's _my _deer! Look at it, all gnawed on by this filth, disease-bearin', motherless, poxy bastard!"

He kicked the walker repeatedly, and Carrie rolled her eyes. His childish behavior got on her nerves.

"It's _dead_, Dixon. That's not going to do anything," she said in the most condescending tone she could manage.

He glared at her, and she knew that if they were alone he would've shot an orange-tipped arrow straight into her eye.

"What do you know about it, bitch?!" he demanded, stalking over to her. She stood her ground, standing tall, though he was significantly taller than her. She didn't even reach his shoulder. "Why don't you take that little attitude and shove it up your ass?"

"You first," she replied smoothly.

He glared at her once more, but turned his attention back to the deer. She, too, turned her attention elsewhere, and saw Glenn wearing a smug smile and giving her a subtle thumbs up. She smiled at her friend.

"I've been tracking this deer for miles," he said, pulling the arrows from the deer's torso. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think, think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

He looked at the group, who averted their eyes.

"I would not risk that," Shane replied quietly.

"That's a damn shame... I got some squirrel – 'bout a dozen or so. That'll have to do."

The decapitated head opened it's eyes and snapped at Daryl as he stepped closer.

"Oh, God," Amy said, leaving with her sister.

"Come on, people, what the hell?" Daryl said, loading his crossbow and shooting the creature in the eye. Carrie winced at the sound of its skull cracking.

"It's gotta be the brain," Daryl told them, pulling the arrow out. Carrie winced again at the sound. "Don't y'all know nothin'?"

He deliberately looked at Carrie when he said that, and it was her turn to glare at him. He stalked back to the camp, and Carrie followed, though she stayed close to Rick and Shane.

"Merle!" she heard Daryl call, and she closed her eyes. Shit was about to go down...

Someone grabbed her arm, and she yelped. It was only Robert, however, with an angry look plastered on his face.

"The hell you doing, running off like that?" he demanded quietly.

Carrie slowly raised her eyebrows, giving him a look.

"Seriously?" she asked. "I'm not going to sit around while I hear children screaming!"

"You scared me half to death!"

"You scared _me _half to death, going on that run!"

"Really, Carrie! This again!"

"Glenn asked me to go!"

"That doesn't mean you have to say yes!"

"You're sayin' you handcuffed my brother to a roof, and you left him there?!"

A louder, more angry voice pulled the two from their argument. Robert sighed and went over to where the rest of the group was gathered, Carrie following.

"Yeah."

Daryl was pushed to the ground when he lunged at Rick, but that just gave him time to unsheathe his knife and swipe at Rick again.

He was held back by Shane while Rick took the knife from his hand.

"You'd best let me go!"

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't."

"Choke hold's illegal," Daryl growled, and Carrie snorted.

"In case you didn't notice, the world ended. Rules don't really apply anymore," she said before she was able to stop herself.

Daryl looked up at her.

"Oh, you again?" he snarled. "Why don't you learn to keep your mouth shut, you bitch?"

"That's enough," Rick said loud enough to stop Robert from replying. He knelt before Daryl, his officer act coming into play.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic," he said. "Do you think we can manage that?"

Daryl spat out a reply, but it was too quiet for her to hear. Not that she wanted to pay too much attention anyway, she was humiliated from his insult.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others," Rick explained.

"It's not Rick's fault," T-Dog added. "I had the key, I dropped it."

"Couldn't pick it up?" Daryl demanded.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain."

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't," Daryl replied, getting off the ground.

"Maybe this will. I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him with a padlock."

"It's gotta count for something."

Carrie was the only one who noticed the tear that escaped Daryl's face.

"Hell with all y'all!" he yelled, his voice breaking. "Just tell me where he is, so I can go get him."

"He'll show you," Lori spoke up. "Isn't that right."

Rick nodded in agreement with his wife.

"I'm goin' back."

There was silence, and deciding that there was nothing left to say, Daryl left.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?"

Rick shook his head and looked back at Glenn, who sighed.

"Oh, come on!"

"You know the way, you've been there before. In and out, no problem, you said so yourself," Rick replied. "It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along."

"If I go, Carrie goes," Glenn replied, and Carrie blinked, looking up at her friend.

"What?"

"She's not going anywhere," Robert said.

"Look, this is a suicide mission. I at least need to know I have a good shot who's got my back, and that's Carrie. She's small, she's quick, she's a good asset."

There was silence as Rick considered this.

"Fine," he said. Both men looked at Carrie, who nodded, signaling she would go with them.

"That's just great, now you're gonna risk four people, huh?" Shane demanded.

"Five," T-Dog added.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl muttered. Carrie glared at him, literally biting her tongue to keep her biting remark in her head.

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" he asked.

"Why you?"

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language."

"That's five."

"It's not just five. You're putting every single one of us at risk," Shane argued. Carrie noticed that was about the only thing he was good at. "Just know that Rick. Come on, you saw that walker! It was _here_, it was _in camp_! They're movin' out of the cities, they come back we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here, we need 'em to protect camp!"

"Seems to me what you really need most here are more guns," Rick contradicted.

"Right..." Glenn mused, stepping away from Carrie. "The guns..."

"Wait, what guns?"

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns," Rick bragged. "I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sittin' there on the street, waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?"

"700 rounds, assorted."

"You went through hell to find us," Lori spoke again. "You just got here, and you're gonna turn around and leave?"

"Dad, I don't want you to go."

"To hell with the guns, Shane is right," Lori added. "Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with the guns thrown in! Tell me, make me understand."

"He's a human being Lori," Carrie said tiredly. She really didn't care about the eldest Dixon brother, but she understood why Daryl was so hellbent on finding him. "I'm guessing you don't have a brother or sister."

"No, Carrie, I don't."

"Well, I did," Carrie said loudly, and silence perused. "I had a younger sister. Her name was Delilah. I have no idea where the hell she is now, probably dead. Last time we spoke, we were living together and we got into a fight about the rent. I called her a bitch, packed my things, and left. I didn't care that she didn't make enough money to cover the rent, I just wanted out, and I got out."

She looked at Daryl before continuing.

"I'll be damned if I let someone else go through that. You might not think he's worth it, Lori, but abandoning him is _not _the answer."

Silence, again, followed.

** She must have made everyone understand the reasoning behind this mission, because no one else objected, not even Robert. He just kissed her forehead and told her to be safe before walking away, and Carrie sighed, knowing she'd hear about it later.**

**Pretty much the rest of Tell It To the Frogs is in here... I think I can get one more chapter out of this episode and then we will move onto the fourth episode! Woo!**

**I had to make this chapter longer because Daryl actually makes an appearance. And calls Carrie a bitch repeatedly. No, they don't like each other right now, but obviously, they will later. Heh.**

**What'd you guys think of adding Delilah? It was kind of an impulse thing, and if you guys want to know more about her, I might bring her in later.**

**In other news, I'm starting a companion fic to this story called "One Hour At A Time". They will be short one shots, and they will be written per request. Meaning, if you leave a review telling me what you want to see, it might just pop up as a one shot.**

**So, why don't you guys click on the little review button and tell me what you think, and leave a request while you're at it?**

**Thanks for reading guys, have a great weekend.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again. It's been awhile, and I hate to say that 'cause I'm having a good time writing this fic, but hey, life and exams have taken their toll.**

**I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

Little did Carrie Reed know, her kid sister _wasn't _dead, she was very much alive, and very close.

"Delilah!"

The young girl turned, dark hair falling out of her tight, military hairstyle.

"It's over! Get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you!" she yelled over the gunfire.

"Fort Benning's gone!" her female Commander yelled. "Go! That's an order!"

Delilah hesitated, but after a moment she darted away, shooting at the walkers that grabbed at her. She made it to her black Jeep Cherokee, and sped away from the fallen Fort.

"Come on! Let's go!" Daryl shouted impatiently, his voice echoing in the back of the truck. Carrie sighed and rolled her eyes, and Glenn suppressed a smile.

Rick and T-Dog got in the truck – Carrie had been leaning against the front seat, and moved to the back when Rick sat in the passenger seat – and they left for the city.

"He'd better be okay. It's my only word on the matter."

Carrie sighed and rested her temple on her fist. _Not this again... not when we're in a confined space..._

"I _told you _the geeks can't get at him. Only thing that's gonna get through that door is us."

Daryl gave him a look that could kill, if looks could.

"We walk from here," Glenn told the group when he stopped the car. Carrie nodded and moved to the back of the truck. Daryl jumped out, followed by T-Dog, who offered her his hand. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"I promised Robert I'd look after you," he explained. Carrie rolled her eyes, but took his hand anyway and let him help her down.

"I can look after myself," she protested as they walked the train tracks.

"You and I know that, but Robert seems to be in denial."

"The prophet has spoken," she said with a laugh.

"Merle first, or the guns?"

"Merle! We ain't even havin' this conversation!"

"We are," Carrie contradicted, annoyance creeping into her voice. She didn't miss the glare Daryl gave her.

"You know the geography, it's your call," Rick said to Glenn over his shoulder.

"Merle's closest," Glenn replied. "The guns would mean doubling back. Merle first."

They broke into a run, heading for the department store.

When they arrived, they took slow, cautious steps. Get in, get Merle, get out. That was the plan. If only Carrie didn't have such a bad feeling in her gut.

"Damn, you are one ugly skank," Daryl commented as he aimed at a female walker's head and shooting an arrow into her skull. Carrie shook her head, unable to stop the smile from forming.

Quietly, they slipped through the store, up the stairs, and to the padlocked door. T-Dog cut the lock, and Daryl kicked the door in.

The five of them exited the store and went onto the roof. The sun stung Carrie's eyes for the briefest moment, but it didn't stop her from seeing.

She sighed.

Merle was gone, and all that was left was a hand and some bloody tools.

"No! No!"

**Ah, my trademark short chapter. Sorry about that. There's another chapter coming. I'll probably update tomorrow, I'm not sure.**

**What'd you guys think of Delilah's point of view? I've completed her character and her story, so we'll be hearing from her more often.**

**I'm still taking requests for one shots in my companion fic "One Hour At A Time". I've got one request from a friend, and I'll probably do one of some of Delilah and Carrie's family life and individual back stories. That should be up sometime tomorrow or Sunday.**

**In other news, if you guys wondered what Carrie and Delilah looked like, I'm going to post pictures of all my OC's on my profile. Should be the very last thing before my note.**

**Thanks for reading, have a great day.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

From where he was sitting, Robert could see the city. He sighed, wondering for the tenth time that day if Carrie was alright. He had asked T-Dog to keep her safe, but in all reality, he didn't trust anyone but himself to do that.

He sighed again and ran his hands through his hair. The situation had changed him. He had never been so wary before, he'd never doubted Carrie. He certainly wouldn't have frowned upon her for holding onto the necklace he gave her.

In that moment, he swore to make it better.

He couldn't loose Carrie.

Carrie pointed her gun at Daryl's head as he raised his crossbow to T-Dog's. There were a few excruciating moments of silence as everyone's weapons were raised, pointed at different people.

"I won't hesitate," Rick said. "I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

Carrie was glad someone wasn't hesitant. She didn't know if she'd have the heart to shoot Daryl. Walkers were one thing, but living people were another.

"Daryl... come on, put it down," Carrie said gently when his crossbow didn't move.

Slowly, the crossbow was lowered, and so were Carrie and Rick's guns.

"You got a do rag or somethin'?" Daryl asked T-Dog, who nodded and pulled it out of his pocket. Daryl walked to the hand and picked it up, wrapping it in the bandana and into Glenn's bag.

They followed the trail of blood to another door, where they entered and went down another flight of stairs.

"Merle! You in here!"

They didn't find him, so they continued to search the building, killing some straggling walkers.

"Had enough in 'im to take out these two sumbitches," Daryl commented when they came across two already dead walkers. "One handed. Toughest asshole I've ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Any man can pass out from blood loss," Rick replied. "No matter how tough he is."

"Merle!"

"We're not alone here," Carrie hissed. "Remember?"

"Screw that," Daryl replied. "He could be bleedin' out."

Slowly, they approached a stove with flames still burning, lots of bloody rags, and a tool covered in blood...

"What's that burned stuff?"

"Skin..." Carrie replied slowly. "He cauterized the stump."

"Told you he was tough," Daryl muttered. "Nobody can kill Merle but Merle."

"Don't take that on faith," Rick replied. "He's lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from bustin' outta this death trap."

"He left the building?" Carrie demanded in a disbelieving tone. She stood next to Daryl, who was observing a broken window. She didn't notice how he tensed.

"I'll be damned..." she mused.

"Why the hell would he do that?" Glenn demanded.  
"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone, as far as he knows," Daryl answered. "Doin' what he's gotta do. Survivin'."

"You call that 'surviving'?" T-Dog asked. "Just wanderin' out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?"

"No worse than bein' handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks," he said, his eyes resting on Carrie. Hers narrowed.

"Watch it country boy. I had absolutely nothing to do with this."

"Your little dog does."

"What the hell do you mean 'little dog'?" Carrie demanded, her voice rising.

"You know exactly what I mean, bitch!"

"Are you talking about Robert?! You leave him the hell out of this!"

"This isn't the time for this, you two," Rick interjected, receiving a glare from Daryl.

"You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."

"What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?"

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want, I'm gonna go get 'im."

"Daryl, wait-"

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me!"

"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury, we could help you check a few blocks around but _only _if we keep a level head."

There was silence as Daryl considered this.

"I could do that."

**Another short chapter, but hey, two in one night.**

**How I enjoy writing Darrie (Daryl/Carrie... what? It's too much work to type two names, so I made a ship name! It works... I hope...) spats.**

**As I said earlier, I'm still taking requests for "One Hour At A Time". Just leave it with your review, 'cause you know you want to leave one, right?**

**Have a great day, and a safe holiday and merry Christmas, in case I don't update soon.**

**Thanks for reading.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Glenn, this is crazy, no, it's suicide!"

"You're not doin' this alone."

"Even I think it's a bad idea, and I don't even like you much."

Carrie glared at Daryl, who didn't even acknowledge her.

"It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out," Glenn insisted. "If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look-"

He drew their attention to a map drawn on the floor.

"- that's the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl and I will go."

"Why me?" Daryl asked.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun," Glenn replied. "While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asked.

"You, Carrie, and T-Dog will be in this alley here."

"Two blocks away?" she asked.

"Why?" Rick added.

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl, I'll go forward instead. All the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me," Glen replied. "After wards, we'll all meet back here."

"Hey, kid, what'd you do before all this?" Daryl asked.

"Delivered pizzas, why?"

No one answered.

Everyone went their separate ways, Carrie tailing Rick, T-Dog bringing up the rear. Everything seemed to go without a hitch, until the trio heard a voice they didn't recognize.

They looked at each other, clearly confused, before running in the direction of the voice, weapons drawn.

They found Daryl, alone, lunging at a boy who looked young – late teens, Carrie guessed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop it!" Rick yelled, holding Daryl back.

"I'm gonna kick your nuts up in your throat!"

"Daryl, what the hell happened?!" Carrie demanded. She was confused, scared, and somewhat angry – she had a feeling something bad had just happened.

"Let me go!"

"Chill out!"

"_EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!" _Carrie shrieked, and there was silence except for the walkers.

"What the hell happened, Daryl," she said slowly, spitting the words through clenched teeth.

"They took Glenn! That little bastard and his little bastard homie friends! I'm gonna stomp your ass!"

"Guys, we're cut off!" T-Dog said.

"Get to the lab, go!" Rick told them, and they obeyed, taking the guns and young boy with them.

"Those men you were with, we need to know where they went."

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'."

Carrie rolled her eyes, and continued to pace. They had to get Glenn back, they just had to.

"Jesus, man, what the hell happened back there?" T-Dog demanded.

"I told you! This little turd and his douchebag friends came outta nowhere and jumped me!" Daryl replied.

"You're the one who jumped me, _puto_," the boy replied. "Screamin' 'bout tryin' to find his brother like it's my damn fault."

"They took Glenn! Could've taken Merle too!"

"Merle? What kind of nick name is that? I wouldn't even name my _dog _Merle," the boy spat.

Daryl immediately stiffened with anger, and Carrie looked at the boy.

"See, _now_, he's gonna kill you," she told him.

"Damn right, freckles," Daryl growled, lunging at the boy. Carrie raised her eyebrows at him while Rick pushed him away. Freckles? Where did that come from?

"Damn it, Daryl, back off!"

Daryl glared at Rick before walking over to Glenn's bag, reaching into the pocket with Merle's hand. Carrie bit her lip to keep from smiling. This was about to get interesting...

"Want to see what happened to the last guy that pissed me off?" he asked. He took his brother's hand out of the bandana and threw it in the boy's lap. His reaction was comical, but Carrie forced herself not to laugh.

"Start with the feet this time," Daryl threatened, and Rick pulled him away.

"The men you were with took our friend," Rick said, kneeling in front of the boy. "All we want to do is talk to them, see if we can work something out."

The boy, after some silence, nodded in agreement.

Soon, they arrived at an older looking, brick building with peeling red doors.

"You sure you're up for this?" Rick asked Carrie and T-Dog.

"Yeah," T-Dog replied, and Carrie answered with a nod.

"Okay."

"One wrong move, you get an arrow in the ass. Just so you know," Daryl told the boy.

"G's gonna take that arrow out of my ass and shove it up yours. Just so _you _know."

"'G'?"

"Guillermo," the boy explained. "He's the man here."

"Okay then," Carrie muttered.

"Let's go see Guillermo," Rick said, cocking his gun. Carrie sighed and pulled out her handgun before following them. With the boy in front, they approached the door.

The doors opened, and a man with darker skin stepped out.

"You okay, little man?" he asked.

"They're gonna cut off my feet, _carnal_."

He looked back at the trio behind the boy. "Cops do that?"

"Not him," the boy replied. "This redneck _puto _here. Cut off some dude's hand, man! He showed it to me!"

It took all of Carrie's will to not smile or roll her eyes.

"Shut up," Daryl growled.

"Hey!" two men materialized out of the doorway, gesturing to Daryl. "That's that _vato_, right there, homes! Shot me in the ass with an arrow! What's up, homes, huh?!"

"Chill, ese, chill, chill," the man standing across from them – Guillermo, she guessed – said. He looked back at the trio. "This true? He wants Miguelito's feet? That's pretty sick, man."

"We were hoping more for a calm discussion," Rick told him.

"That hillbilly jumps Felie's little cousin, beats on him, threatens to cut off his feet, Felipe gets an arrow in the ass, and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."

It did seem a little far fetched...

"Heat of the moment," Rick defended. "Mistakes were made on both sides."

Guillermo finally scanned over Daryl and Carrie.

"Who are they to you anyway? You three don't look related."

"We're part of our group, more or less," Carrie answered.

"I'm sure you have a few like him," Rick said, gesturing to Daryl.

"You got my brother in there?" Daryl asked.

"Sorry. We're fresh out of white boys. But I've got an Asian, you interested?"

"I have one of yours, you have one of mine," Rick replied.

"Sounds like an even trade," Carrie added.

"Don't sound even to me," Guillermo replied, and Carrie ground her teeth.

"G... come on, man!"

"My people got attacked. Where's the conversation for their pain and suffering? More to the point, wheres my bag of guns?"

"Guns?"

"The bag Miguel saw in the street. The bag Felipe and Jorge were going back to get. That bag of guns."

"You're mistaken," Rick told him.

"I don't think so."

"About it being yours," Carrie said.

"It's my bag of guns," Rick added.

"The bag was in the street," Guillermo replied. "Anybody could come around and say it was theirs. I'm supposed to take your word? What's to stop my people from unloading on you and your pretty little girl right here and now and take what's mine?"

"You could do that," Rick said. He, then, gestured to T-Dog on the rooftop of a building, a gun aimed right at Guillermo's head. "Or not."

"_Oye_!" Guillermo called up to the roof. Slowly, Carrie looked up to see two men holding Glenn, who's hands were tied behind his back and head covered with a bag. They uncovered his head, and Glenn looked down at them, his eyes pleading.

"I see two options," Guillermo said, drawing their attention back to him. You come back with Miguel and my bag of guns, everybody walks. Or you come back locked and loaded, we'll see which side spills more blood.

Guillermo and his men went back inside, and Carrie hesitantly followed Rick and Daryl to another building.

"Them guns are worth more than gold," Daryl commented.

"Yeah, well, people are eating people," Carrie muttered.

Daryl ignored her. "Gold won't protect your family or put food on the table. You willin' to give that up for that kid?"

"If I knew we'd get Glenn back, I might agree," T-Dog replied. "But you think that vato across the way is just gonna hand him over?"

"You callin' G a liar?" Miguel demanded

"Are you a part of this?" Carrie demanded, glaring at him. She was about sick of him.

"You want to hold onto your teeth?" Daryl added, slapping the side of Miguel's head.

"Question is, do you trust that man's word?" T-Dog asked Rick.

"No, question is, what are you willin' to bet on it? Could be more than them guns, could be your life," Daryl said.

"He has a point," Carrie said, and Daryl looked at her. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't give me that look," she said. "Agreeing with you is a one time thing."

Daryl rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Rick. "Glenn worth that to you?"

Carrie glared at him.

"Screw you! Glenn is resourceful, he knows the land, and he's my friend," she said through her teeth. "If you three aren't going after him, I will."

"What, freckles, you think you'll get through all those guards?"

Carrie rolled her eyes. "It would be simple. There are a lot of windows in that damn place, I saw a few that weren't boarded up. Slip in through one, grab Glenn, get out."

"And the guards? You just gonna slit their throats?"

Carrie shuddered at the thought, which Daryl noticed, and smirked. She glared at him again.

"I'd knock them out with the butt of my gun," she said, earning another eye roll from Daryl. "What? You didn't think about that? You just automatically go for the crossbow?"

"What life I have, I owe to him," Rick said, interrupting their spat and Daryl's retort. "I was nobody to Glenn, just some idiot stuck in a tank. He could've walked away, but he didn't. Neither will I."

"So you're gonna hand the guns over?"

"I didn't say that," Rick replied. He looked at the three of them before continuing.

"There's nothin' keein' you three here. You should get out, head back to camp."

"And tell your family what, exactly?" she asked.

There was silence before Rick nodded at them, handing them all extra weapons and ammunition.

"Come on, this is nuts!" Miguel protested. Daryl glared at him and pointed to the spot where he was sitting, and the boy sighed and sat down again.

"Just do what G says!" he begged, and Carrie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, why should we?" she asked. "Can you guarantee he's going to give us back Glenn? He wouldn't even make a fair trade for you. Stop kidding yourself."

"Cold, freckles."

"Yeah, well, so is the world."

**Hopefully, this is a longer chapter. My font is weird, so I don't know until I post. I got sick of the shorter ones, and I know you guys were, too, so here we are!**

**SLOWLY BUT SURELY, we are making our way to the zombie raid at the camp. I'm actually really excited, and I hope you are, too. Many Darrie moments soon to come!**

**Pictures of Carrie and Delilah are still up on my profile, if you're interested. I know I like having a visual of the characters in my head when I read a book or a fic.**

**I hope you guys had a very merry Christmas, and I hope you stay safe traveling home, if you did travel.**

**Thanks for reading guys, and why don't you drop me a review? I'd love to hear what you think.**

**Have a good day.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone. Hope you've been having a good day... week... whatever, I don't even know how long it's been, haha.**

**So, I forgot to do this last chapter, so I'm gonna do it now. I've got some reviews to answer.**

**SimplyMae: Hi! I'm glad you love the story. I will be going by the T.V. Series, obviously, because Daryl's in this story and he's not in the comic books. I hope you enjoy the new chapter, thanks for reviewing!**

**Anyway, I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

Chapter Nine

They walked back to the Guillermo's building, Miguel in the front, now wearing a rag over his mouth and his hands tied behind his back. The doors opened when they arrived, and Daryl pushed Miguel inside, then the four of them followed, weapons raised.

Since Carrie could write well with both hands, she knew how to shoot fairly well with both hands. She decided to put that to good use, and now she felt pretty bad ass holding two handguns.

They were soon surrounded by men, Guillermo in the front.

"I see my guns, but they're not all in the bag," he commented.

"That's because they're not yours," Rick replied. "I thought I mentioned that."

"Let's just shoot these fools right now, ese! Alright, unload on their asses, ese!"

"I don't think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation."

"Oh, I think we do," Carrie replied. Rick gave her a look out of the corner of his eye before cutting Miguel's binds and pushing him forward.

"You have your man. I want mine," he said.

"I'm gonna chop up your boy," Guillermo growled. "I'm gonna feed 'im to my dogs. They're the evilest, nastiest man-eatin' bitches you ever saw. Picked 'em up from Satan at a yard sale."

Carrie tried not to let it show, but she was afraid for her friend.

"I told you how it has to be! Are you woefully deaf?"

"No, my hearing's fine. You said come locked and loaded-"

He cocked his gun and aimed at Guillermo's head, and everyone else followed suit, though their aim was elsewhere.

"- okay then, we're here."

There was silence, until another voice broke it.

"Felipe! Felipe!"

Carrie looked over to see an elderly woman walking through the crowd.

"_Abuela, _go back with the others, now."

"Get that old lady outta the line of fire!" Daryl said forcefully.

"_Abuela, _listen to your _mijo_, okay?" Guillermo said. "This is not the place for you right now."

"Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing," she told him tearfully. "He needs his asthma stuff! Carlito didn't find it! He needs his medicine."

"Felipe, go take care of it, okay! And take your grandmother with you!"

"Who are those men?" the woman demanded, gesturing to them. She walked over to them, despite Felipe's efforts to lead her away.

"Don't you take him!"

"Ma'am?"

"Felipe's a good boy! He have his trouble, but he pull himself together! We need him here!" she insisted.

"She thinks you're arresting him," Carrie muttered to Rick, who nodded.

"Ma'am, I'm not here to arrest your grandson."

"Then what do you want him for?" she asked.

"He's... helpin' us find a missing person," Rick lied. "A fella named Glenn."

"The Asian boy?" she asked. "He's with Mr. Gilbert! Come, come! I show you!"

She took Rick's hand and lead him to where Glenn was, but the men in the crowd inched closer, a few staring at Carrie. She stared right back, and felt someone stand next to her protectively. It didn't surprise her that it was T-Dog.

"Let them pass," Guillermo demanded, and they did.

She lead them out of the building and to another, this one more clean. It looked more like a hospital.

Looking into the rooms, Carrie noted it was a nursing home, not a hospital. She sighed. At least someone was taking care of them, even if it was people like Guillermo.

They were lead to what looked like a church with tables set around the room.

"Alright, alright," Felipe was saying to a man in a wheelchair, who Carrie guessed to be Mr. Gilbert. "Nice and easy, just breathe. Just breathe, just let it out. Just breathe."

"Glenn!" Carrie breathed when she saw him, and he looked over at them. She did a quick scan, and noting he was okay, she smiled at him.

"What the hell is this?" Rick asked.

"An asthma attack," Glenn replied. "Couldn't get his breath all of a sudden."

"Thought you were bein' eaten by dogs, man!" T-Dog said.

Glenn frowned and looked at a trio of chihuahuas in a dog bed. The one in the middle started to bark at them.

Carrie sighed and looked over at Guillermo, her eyes glazed with pure condescension.

"Could I have a word with you?" Rick said to him, and Guillermo nodded. The two left, and Carrie turned to Glenn.

"You're okay?" she asked. "They didn't hurt you?"

He shook his head.

"Good," she breathed before pulling him in for a hug, and he slowly returned it. In this world, you could loose friends in the blink of an eye. Carrie hoped that would never happen.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat."

"Don't tell anybody."

Carrie smiled before rolling her eyes. _Men..._

"You've given away half our guns and ammo," Daryl said angrily.

"Not nearly half," Rick replied.

"For what? Bunch of old farts who are gonna die off momentarily anyhow?"

"Don't talk like that," Carrie told him.

"Seriously! How long you think they got?" he demanded.

"How long do any of us?" Rick retorted.

They arrived at the railroad tracks, but their van was nowhere in sight. Carrie rubbed a hand over her face.

"Great. Just what we need."

"Where the hell's our van?" Daryl asked.

"Where the hell do you think it is?!" Carrie demanded, clearly frustrated. "Some asshole decided to steal it."

"We left it right there, who would take it?" Glenn replied, his voice panicked.

"I think we all know," Carrie answered. She looked at Daryl before continuing. "Merle Dixon."

"He's gonna be takin' some vengeance back to camp," Daryl said quietly.

They had been running back to camp for awhile now. Carrie had no trouble keeping up. She wanted to get back to camp, make sure Robert was okay, but most of all, prove to him that she could fend for herself out there.

They stopped momentarily when they heard screams and shots.

"Oh, my God..."

"Go, go!"

Carrie darted ahead of them, her only thoughts on her friends back at the camp, on Rob.

Chaos.

That was the only way to describe what they came into.

There were walkers everywhere, eating the fallen, walkers falling left and right.

Carrie shot bullet after bullet, the walkers falling as the bullets hit them in the head.

Soon, it was over, and Carrie looked around at the fallen, her eyes freezing on Amy. Tears stung in her eyes, and she found that she had to look away. She was looking for someone else anyway.

"Rob?" she called shakily.

No answer.

"Rob?" she tried again, louder. Her bottom lip began to quiver.

_Please, please Rob, for the love of all that is Holy, answer me!_

"Rob!" she yelled, her voice cracking.

"You wanna keep it down? We're not alone here," Daryl spat. She glared at him, the tears finally welling over. She found she couldn't even speak.

"Back off," Glenn said from behind her. He put a hand on his friend's shaking shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll find him."

"No! Amy! Amy!"

Amy gone, and Robert missing.

Why did she ever leave?

**Hmmm... What's happened to Robert? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Brownie points if you can guess what show the nickname "Freckles" is from. It's not from my own creation, as much as I'd like to say it was.**

**Pictures of Carrie and Delilah are still up on my profile, and yes, we will be hearing from Delilah soon. Hopefully, you guys will get as attached to her as I am.**

**Why don't you guys drop me a review? I'd love to hear what you think.**

**Thanks for reading, you guys. I'll see you real soon in the next chapter. Have an awesome day.**

**-SparrowEyedGirl **


	10. Chapter 10

**Good afternoon, all. I hope you've been having a good weekend so far. Here we are again at another chapter of Surviving Today, and I honestly loved writing this chapter. First Darrie moment. Hah.**

**A guest (who just happened to be one of my friends) guessed the origin of the nickname "Freckles" correctly. It's Sawyer's nickname for Kate on Lost.**

**Anyway, I don't own the Walking Dead, just my OCs. Enjoy!**

Chapter Ten

"I've gotta go find him, Glenn," Carrie said, rubbing her arms in an attempt to soothe herself. She hadn't been able to sleep, she was literally worried sick.

"You're not going out there alone," Glenn replied.

"And you're not coming with me," she said. "They need you here, and I'm just another person standing around."

Glenn regarded her for a few moments before embracing her, which she returned.

"Be safe," he said before letting her go. She nodded, and made sure she had all of her weapons before going in the direction of the forest.

"Where do you think you're goin' there, freckles?"

Carrie sighed and looked over at Daryl, who was digging a pickaxe out of a walker's head. She flinched.

"I'm going to look for my boyfriend, is that okay with you, _mother_?"

He glared at her.

"What're you, stupid? You think you're gonna go out in the woods alone, after what happened last night?"

"And who are you to stop me?" she demanded. "All you care about is yourself."

It was Daryl's turn to glare at her.

"He's right, it ain't a good idea."

Carrie looked over to see Shane stalking towards them. She sighed.

"Look, screw you both. I'm going to look for him and no one's gonna stop me."

"Fine, then you're takin' Daryl with ya."

"What?!" they both demanded.

"Why, exactly?" Carrie added.

"'Cause I ain't riskin' a good shot gettin' killed out there. You take him with ya or ya ain't goin'. That's the deal."

Carrie sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"He's needed here," she tried, and Shane sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Carrie, you're tryin' to find someone, you need a tracker."

There was silence as Carrie considered this.

"Fine."  
"And what makes you think I'd help her? Lot more quiet without his big mouth around," Daryl said, and she glared at him.

"If somethin' happens to her, that'd be on your hands... she's well liked 'round here, I don't think that'd go over very well."

Daryl sighed angrily and, after leaving the pickaxe with Shane, grabbed his crossbow and walked ahead of Carrie into the woods. She sighed and followed him, weapons drawn.

Daryl hated this. He hated tracking down her annoying, controlling, bastard of a boyfriend. He made a list of the people the camp would be easier to deal with if they weren't there, and Robert was on it. Daryl didn't like the way he glared at Glenn when he got too close to Carrie, he didn't like the way he would grab her arm, he didn't like the way she would look after he stormed away from her. He didn't like how he thought Carrie was some helpless little girl. He'd seen her shoot, unafraid with spot on aim. She wasn't helpless.

With Carrie walking ahead of him, he quickly noticed how he also hated what she was wearing. Tight jeans and that damn tank top that was cropped, showing the dimples on her hips, right by her spine-

"You know, you're supposed to be tracking here."

"I'm workin' on it," he muttered, though that was only half the truth.

He saw her roll her eyes.

"Yeah right, anyone can see you're distracted. Something wrong?"

"What's it to you, freckles?"

"Just trying to make conversation," she said. "Where'd you get 'freckles' from anyway?"

He noticed she had stopped, so he did, too.

"You got freckles on your face, didn't you notice?"

She smiled – an actual smile – and put her hands in her back pockets walking up to him. She was inches from him, though he had to look down, because she was so short.

"It's _my _face, pretty boy. Of course I noticed."

"'Pretty boy'?" he asked with a eyebrow raised.

She smiled again and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not?" she asked, walking past him.

He sighed and stood his ground for a moment, or more like a minute.

And that's all it took.

He heard a shriek, and what sounded like a thud.

"Daryl!" she shrieked, and he took off in the direction of her voice.

What he found surprised him. A walker had Carrie's ankle, and she was on her stomach, kicking its hand with her boot. She was reaching for her guns, which had fallen out of her hand. Without hesitation, he shot the walker in the head with an arrow.

Carrie grabbed her weapons, tucking them into her waistband, and got up, looking at the walker. Daryl looked at it, too, and sighed. He recognized the walker as Robert.

"Oh, my God..." she breathed. "No... no..."

Daryl ran a hand through his hair and walked over to the dead walker, pulling the arrow out of its skull. He, then looked at Carrie, who was backing away, tears streaming down her face.

She looked at Daryl, then shook her head before turning on her heel and darting off.

He immediately followed her, making sure to keep her dark hair in sight.

He lost her when they came into a clearing, but quickly saw her sitting against a tree, shaking hands covering her face.

"How stupid are you?!" he demanded, pulling her up with one hand. She whimpered and batted his hand away like a child, but he quickly grabbed her arm again.

"You don't run off into the forest unless you want to die, you stupid bitch!" he spat, and she looked away from him, pain evident on her face. He didn't care. He hated that she had scared him by running off.

"Come on," he growled, holding fast to her arm and dragging her back to the camp.

He was starting to care about this girl, he knew it.

_This damn girl could be the death of me._

_ He's gone... he's gone... he's gone..._

The words tolled in her head, and wouldn't stop.

As soon as they got back to the camp, Daryl released her arm and stalked off. She sighed and swatted her hair away from her shoulders, heading in the direction of her tent.

She didn't hear Glenn approach, didn't even notice him until he stepped in front of her. She stopped, but didn't look up.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"He's gone," she said numbly.

"I'm sorry, Carrie..." he said. He moved to embrace her, but she ducked under his arm and went into her tent.

Carrie hadn't come out of her tent since Daryl had dragged her back. Not after they found out Jim was bit, not after the gunshot that killed the reanimated Amy, not even after the group gathered to bury the fallen members of their group.

It wasn't until they were about to leave for the C.D.C. that Lori actually went into the tent, trying to convince her to come out and join them, but she came out alone.

"Glenn, why don't you try, she won't listen to me," she said.

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Damn people, ain't that hard," he said. He walked into her tent, where she was sitting with her knees hugged to her chest, her arms and forehead resting on them. He sighed and grabbed her under her arms, dragging her out of the tent.

She fell back when he let go, looking at him, both shocked and angry.

"No time to mope, princess," he said. She glared at him with tears in her eyes, but he ignored her and walked away.

Carrie knew she shouldn't be surprised that he humiliated her in front of everyone, it seemed to be his specialty, but she still was.

She sighed and slowly got up, dusting off her jeans and noting the dark stains on her brown boots.

She looked away quickly, and noticed Glenn walking over to her. He smiled sympathetically, and she sighed.

"What'd I miss?" she asked.

"We buried the people we lost, we plan on going to the C.D.C., Morales and his family are leaving... and Jim was bit," Glenn said.

Carrie ran a hand through her loose hair at the last update.

"Damn..." she said. It was all she could think to say.

Carrie ended up in the R.V. with Dale, Glenn, Jim, and Jaqui. She was sitting in a booth installed near a table, since she couldn't bear to be in the same room as Jim.

They stopped after awhile because the R.V. stalled, and as everyone was outside, Jacqui came out and stood in front of Carrie.

"Jim's getting worse," Jacqui told her, and Carrie sighed. She stood, and the two women exited the R.V.

"Y'all, Jim... it's bad," Jaqui said. "I don't think he can take anymore."

Jaqui went back inside, followed shorty by Rick, but Carrie stayed, sitting with her back to the metal of the R.V. She chose to stare at the ground instead of listening to the conversation the rest of the group was having. Really, what could she contribute?

Someone knelt in front of her, and she looked up to see Carol, who smiled softly at her. She returned it, but only slightly.

"How are you holding up?" Carol asked the younger woman, who shrugged.

"Did they bury him?"

"No... we didn't have time to look for his body... I'm sorry, Carrie..."

"It's alright... I expected that..." Carrie said, twirling her ponytail around her finger. She looked at Carol.

"You lost your husband that night, too..."

Carol nodded.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Carol replied. "He doesn't deserve it."

When Rick came back out of the R.V., Shane and T-Dog had returned. They gathered in a group at his request, and Rick explained that Jim wanted to be left behind.

"It's what he says he wants."

"And he's... lucid?" Carol asked.

"He seems to be," Rick answered. "I would say yes."

"Back in the camp, when I said Daryl might be right, and you shot me down... you misunderstood," Dale said. "I would _never.._. go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And... I think we have an answer."

"We just leave him here, take off?" Carrie asked.

"I'm not sure I could live with that," Shane added.

"It's not your call," Lori said. "Either one of you."

There was silence, and in the end, Rick and Shane helped Jim out of the R.V. and set him against a tree. Everyone said their goodbyes, and Carrie went last. She knelt in front of the dark haired man, and he smiled at her. This only made the tears in her eyes well over.

"I'm sorry, Jim," she said shakily, and he shook his head.

"No need to be sorry," he replied. "You're a fighter, Carrie. Don't you loose that. Stay strong."

She nodded and kissed his heated cheek before standing again. She made her way back to the R.V., tears staining her face once again.

She didn't even notice that Daryl watched her until she was no longer in sight.

Carrie occupied her seat again, staring out the window blankly. Fresh tears streamed down her face as they got further and further away from Jim. She just felt so guilty, especially since Jim wasn't a bad guy. Maybe it was the fact that they'd lost so many in one day.

"Hey..."

Carrie looked over to see Glenn, and she sighed.

"Seems like crying is the only thing I'm good at these days," she commented with a light laugh.

"That's not true," Glenn replied. "We've just... been through too much too soon."

"Yeah, you could say that."

Glenn sighed. "We're almost there, do you want me to stay here until then?"

"No, no," Carrie said, feeling a little pathetic. "Dale might need you for something. I'll be okay."

Glenn nodded and left, and Carrie sighed. She knew Glenn meant well, but she realized how much she had been wallowing in self-pity. Hiding in her tent, not speaking, looking at nothing except the ground...

Robert was gone, but she wasn't the only one who had lost someone. Carol had lost her husband, and even though he was an abusive bastard, she still loved him. She was carrying on just fine.

Carrie allowed herself to smile, and the more that she accepted the fact that Robert wasn't coming back, that he would want her to remain strong, the weight on her shoulders lifted.

_You shoot me down, but I won't fall. I am titanium._

**I told you guys you should be afraid for Robert. Heh. I know depressed Carrie isn't that fun right now, but you've got to remember she's lost a friend and her boyfriend in one attack. She gets better.**

**What did you guys think about the first Darrie moment?**

**Now, we move on to the C.D.C., and then we will be done with season one. Excitement is in the air.**

**I have started writing the companion piece, One Hour At A Time. If you have any requests, please leave them in a review or DM me.**

**Also, I made a Tumblr, and I will be posting FanFiction related things there, so find me if you want! My user is "sparroweyedgirl".**

**Drop me a review, if you so desire. It'd be much appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading, and have a great day!**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

They arrived at the C.D.C. with the sky quickly darkening. Slowly, they made their way to the city, around the rotting bodies. Carrie used her shirt to cover her nose from the smell, showing her stomach and her hourglass tattoo on the front of her hip, but she didn't care.

"Okay, keep moving, stay together!" Rick said. "Keep moving, come on!"

"Keep it together, come on."

They were under the shadow of the C.D.C. now, and Carrie's heart was thumping in her chest. Rick and Shane worked on opening the doors, but nothing they did would open the silver doors.

"There's nobody here," T-Dog said.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick demanded.

"They probably shut themselves in and died inside!" Carrie said, her voice portraying her growing panic.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelled, and Carrie sighed. Great, just what they needed.

"You lead us into a graveyard!" Daryl said after he shot a walker down.

"He made a call!"

"It was the wrong damn call!"

"And how the hell were we supposed to know that?!" Carrie demanded.

"Shut up! You two hear me! Just shut up!" Shane growled, obviously sick of them fighting. "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?"

"Do you hear me? No blame."

"She's right, we can't be here this close to the city after dark," Lori said.

"Fort Benning, Rick, that's still an option!"

"On what?" Carrie argued. "No food, no fuel. That's _a hundred miles_."

"125, I checked the map," Glenn said.

"Forget Fort Benning, we need answers tonight! Now!" Carrie said to Shane and Rick.

"We'll think of something!"

"Come on, let's go, let's get out of here."

Everyone started to back away, but Rick didn't budge.

"The camera – it moved!"

Carrie looked at the camera, which was perfectly still. She shook her head.

"You imagined it," she told him.

"It moved!" he insisted. "It moved..."

"Rick, it is dead, man! It's an automated device, it's gears, okay? They're just winding down, now come on."

Rick pushed away from Shane and began pounding on the door, begging nobody to be let in. Carrie rubbed her hands over her face in frustration. The idiot was going to draw more walkers to them.

"Everybody, get back to the cars, now!"

"Please, we're desperate! Please, help us! We have women, children, no food, hardly any gas left!"

"Rick!"

"If you don't let us in, you're killin' us!"

Shane finally succeeded in pulling Rick away, but he was still yelling at the camera.

"You're killing us! You're killing us!"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and a bright, white light stung Carrie's eyes.

**A shorter chapter, I know. There wasn't really much I could say.**

**Well, now they're at the CDC. It's about to get interesting.**

**Thank you guys so much for reading, and why don't you click on Mr. Review Button and tell me what you think? I'd appreciate it.**

**I hope you guys have a nice day, and I'll see you next time!**

**-SparrowEyedGirl**


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